"same period we meet with the private use of the ""discipline"" by such saintly persons as King Louis IX of France and Elisabeth of Hungary. Semi-literal usages such as ""the scourge of God"" for Attila the Hun (i.e. ""God's whip with which to punish the nations"") led to metaphoric uses to mean a severe affliction, e.g. ""the scourge of drug abuse"". The scourge is described as one of the tools used in Wicca, primarily in the Gardnerian Tradition. The purpose of using the scourge is not to cause pain or to torture, but for purification purposes, particularly for Initiates. The"
"as both a military weapon and a symbol of divine favor, which may have contributed to his reputation as ""the Scourge of God,"" a divinely-appointed punisher. As historian Edward Gibbon elaborated, ""the vigour with which Attila wielded the sword of Mars convinced the world that it had been reserved alone for his invincible arm."" In this way it became somewhat of a scepter as well, representing Attila's right to rulership. The Scythians worshipped a god equated with Ares by Herodotus, which has led some authorities to speculate that it was adopted by the Huns. In the eleventh century, some five"
"Aergia Aergia (Greek: , ""inactivity"") is a goddess in Greek mythology, a personification of sloth, idleness, indolence and laziness. She is the daughter of Aether and Gaia. She is said to guard the court of Hypnos in the Underworld. Aergia is the transliteration of the Latin Socordia, or Ignavia. She was transliterated to Greek because Hyginus mentioned her based on a Greek source, and thus can be considered as both a Greek and Roman goddess. Her opposite character is Horme, a goddess of effort. As the goddess of sloth she owns many servants who do her bidding from the mortal"
"Asclepius Asclepius (; ""Asklēpiós"" ; ) or Hepius was a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia (""Hygiene"", the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation), Iaso (the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (the goddess of the healing process), Aglæa/Ægle (the goddess of the glow of good health), and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis and the Egyptian Imhotep. He was one of Apollo's sons, sharing with Apollo the epithet ""Paean"" (""the Healer""). The rod"
"Greek mythology of Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus. Kumarbi Kumarbi is the chief god of the Hurrians. He is the son of Anu (the sky), and father of the storm-god Teshub. He was identified by the Hurrians with Sumerian Enlil, and by the Ugaritians with El. Kumarbi is known from a number of mythological Hittite texts, sometimes summarized under the term ""Kumarbi Cycle"". These texts notably include the myth of ""The Kingship in Heaven"" (also known as the ""Song of Kumarbi"", or the ""Hittite Theogony"", CTH 344), the ""Song of Ullikummi"" (CTH 345), the ""Kingship of the God KAL"" (CTH 343),"
"Saint George Saint George (, ""Geṓrgios""; ; d. 23 April 303) was a Roman soldier of Greek origin and a member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He became one of the most venerated saints and megalo-martyrs in Christianity, and was especially venerated by the Crusaders. In hagiography, as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and one of the most prominent military saints, he is immortalised in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. His memorial, Saint George's Day, is traditionally celebrated on 23 April."
"Saint George Saint George (, ""Geṓrgios""; ; d. 23 April 303) was a Roman soldier of Greek origin and a member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He became one of the most venerated saints and megalo-martyrs in Christianity, and was especially venerated by the Crusaders. In hagiography, as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and one of the most prominent military saints, he is immortalised in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. His memorial, Saint George's Day, is traditionally celebrated on 23 April."
"God"" or ""Beloved of God"") the unhappy and despairing cleric, disappointed in his worldly career by his bishop, who sells his soul to the devil but is redeemed by the Virgin Mary. His story appears in a Greek version of the sixth century written by a ""Eutychianus"" who claims to have been a member of the household in question. A ninth-century ""Miraculum Sancte Marie de Theophilo penitente"" inserts a Virgin as intermediary with ""diabolus"", his ""patron"", providing the prototype of a closely linked series in the Latin literature of the West. In the tenth century, the poet nun Hroswitha of"
"Šimige Šimige (in Ugaritic: ""ṯmg"") was the Hurrian sun god. From the 14th century BC he was also worshiped by the Hittites as the Sun god of Heaven. In the Hittite cliff sanctuary at Yazılıkaya, he is depicted as one of the chief deities. Šimige was closely connected to the Mesopotamian sun god, Šamaš, from whom he took his consort the goddess Aya Ikaltu, whose epithet Ikaltu or Nikaltu derived from the Akkadian word ""kallātu"" ('bride'). Two of his servants were also borrowed in this way: Bunene and Mišaru; a third servant was named Lipparu. Šimige drove a chariot pulled"
"John of God John of God, O.H. (March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550) (, , and ) was a Portuguese-born soldier turned health-care worker in Spain, whose followers later formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a worldwide Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick, and those suffering from mental disorders. He has been canonized by the Catholic Church, and is considered one of Spain's leading religious figures. The first biography of John of God was written by Francisco de Castro, the chaplain at John of God's hospital in Granada, Spain. He drew"
"Scopas Scopas or Skopas (Ancient Greek: Σκόπας) (c. 395 BC – 350 BC) was an Ancient Greek sculptor and architect most famous for his statue of Meleager, the copper statue of ""Aphrodite"" and the head of goddess Hygieia, daughter of Asclepius. Scopas was born on the island of Paros. His father was the sculptor Aristandros. Skopas left Paros at an early age and travelled throughout the Hellenic world. Scopas worked with Praxiteles, and he sculpted parts of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, especially the reliefs. He led the building of the new temple of Athena Alea at Tegea. Similar to Lysippus,"
"Theodore Stratelates Theodore Stratelates (; ), also known as Theodore of Heraclea (), is a martyr and Warrior Saint venerated with the title Great-martyr in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches . There is much confusion between him and St. Theodore of Amasea and they were in fact probably the same person, whose legends later diverged into two separate traditions. Theodore came from the city of Euchaita in Asia Minor. He killed a giant serpent living on a precipice in the outskirts of Euchaita. The serpent had terrored the countryside. Theodore armed"
"replicas, perhaps best represented by a torso in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ""Pothos"", or ""Desire"", was a celebrated and much imitated statue by Scopas. Roman copies featured the human figure with a variety of props, such as musical instruments and fabrics as depicted here, in an example that was in the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Albani. Scopas Scopas or Skopas (Ancient Greek: Σκόπας) (c. 395 BC – 350 BC) was an Ancient Greek sculptor and architect most famous for his statue of Meleager, the copper statue of ""Aphrodite"" and the head of goddess Hygieia, daughter of Asclepius. Scopas"
"Lycurgus of Thrace In Greek mythology, Lycurgus (/laɪˈkɜːrɡəs/; Ancient Greek: Λυκοῦργος ""Lykoûrgos"", Ancient Greek: [lykôrɡos]; c. 820 BC) (also Lykurgos, Lykourgos) was the king of the Edoni in Thrace, son of Dryas, the ""oak"", and father of a son whose name was also Dryas. Lycurgus banned the cult of Dionysus. When Lycurgus heard that Dionysus was in his kingdom, he imprisoned Dionysus's followers, the Maenads, or drove them and Dionysus out of Thrace with an ox-goad. Dionysus fled, taking refuge in the undersea grotto of Thetis the sea nymph. The compiler of ""Bibliotheke"" (3.5.1) says that as punishment, Dionysus drove"
"Gregory Thaumaturgus Gregory Thaumaturgus or Gregory the Miracle-Worker (, ""Grēgórios ho Thaumatourgós""; ; 213 – 270), also known as Gregory of Neocaesarea, was a Christian bishop of the 3rd century. He has been canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Gregory was born around AD 213 to a wealthy pagan family in Neocaesarea (modern Niksar, then the capital of the area of Pontus in Asia Minor). Little is known of his pastoral work, and his surviving theological writings are in an incomplete state. This lack of knowledge partially obscures his personality, despite his historical importance, and"
"Herman the Recluse Herman the Recluse () was, according to legend, a thirteenth century Benedictine monk best known as the supposed author of the ""Codex Gigas"", or ""Devil's Bible"". The legend states that, as a resident of the Benedictine Monastery of Podlazice, Herman the Recluse was condemned to be walled up alive and starved to death. However, in a plea for his life, he convinced the Abbot to let him live if he could create a book that encapsulated all earthly knowledge in one night. Herman wrote until midnight, upon which he realized he could not finish his masterpiece and"
"the Caesar of Rome. Her mother was from the descendents of the Disciples of Jesus (Hawa-riyi-n), and her lineage went back to the successor of ""Jesus, ""Sham‘u-n""; she named herself Narjis when she traveled to Arabia. Twelver Shi'as believe that the Imam did not suffer death, but that, for various reasons, has been concealed by Allah from mankind. This event is known as ""The Occultation"". Since the year AH 329 (about 940 CE), the occultation has been divided into two periods. The Quran states, that there are two kinds of saints of God among people: apparent and hidden. The hidden"
"Cronus, the Titan who fathered the Olympians; Phaethon was sacred to Zeus, Cronus's son who deposed him as king; Pyroeis was given to Ares, son of Zeus and god of war; Phosphoros was ruled by Aphrodite, the goddess of love; and Hermes, messenger of the gods and god of learning and wit, ruled over Stilbon. The Greek practice of grafting of their gods' names onto the planets was almost certainly borrowed from the Babylonians. The Babylonians named Phosphoros after their goddess of love, ""Ishtar""; Pyroeis after their god of war, ""Nergal"", Stilbon after their god of wisdom Nabu, and Phaethon"
"that not even the angels knew. Hadraniel Hadraniel (or Hadarniel among other variant spellings), whose name means ""majesty [or greatness] of God"", is an angel in Jewish Angelology assigned as gatekeeper at the second gate in heaven. He is supposed to be more than sixty myriads of parasangs (approximately 2.1 million miles) tall and a daunting figure to face. When Moses arrived in heaven to get the Torah from God, it was said that he was speechless with awe at the sight of Hadraniel. Hadraniel didn't think Moses should have the Torah, and made him weep in fear, which caused"
"Francis of Assisi Saint Francis of Assisi (, ), born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, informally named as Francesco (1181/11823 October 1226), was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. Pope Gregory IX canonized Francis on 16 July 1228. Along with Saint Catherine of Siena, he was designated Patron saint of Italy. He later became associated with patronage of animals and the"
"Arsenius the Great Saint Arsenius the Deacon, sometimes known as Arsenius of Scetis and Turah, Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Great, was a Roman imperial tutor who became an anchorite in Egypt, one of the most highly regarded of the Desert Fathers, whose teachings were greatly influential on the development of asceticism and the contemplative life. His contemporaries so admired him as to surname him ""the Great"". His feast day is celebrated on May 8 in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox church, and on 13 Pashons in the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was born in"
"Calogerus the Anchorite Calogerus the Anchorite (, or ""Calocerus"", , , also known as ""Calogerus the Hermit"" and ""Calogerus of Sicily"", Chalcedon c. 466-18 June, 561, Monte Kronio) was a hermetical monk, venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and the patron of many places in Sicily. Calogerus is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on June 18, together with the bishop Gregorius and the deacon Demetrius. The three saints are noted as opponents of Arianism who fled from Africa to Sicily to escape persecution. They were active in the area of Fragalata, near Messina. Calogerus is commemorated"
"Kumarbi Kumarbi is the chief god of the Hurrians. He is the son of Anu (the sky), and father of the storm-god Teshub. He was identified by the Hurrians with Sumerian Enlil, and by the Ugaritians with El. Kumarbi is known from a number of mythological Hittite texts, sometimes summarized under the term ""Kumarbi Cycle"". These texts notably include the myth of ""The Kingship in Heaven"" (also known as the ""Song of Kumarbi"", or the ""Hittite Theogony"", CTH 344), the ""Song of Ullikummi"" (CTH 345), the ""Kingship of the God KAL"" (CTH 343), the ""Myth of the dragon Hedammu"" (CTH"
"Triptolemus In Greek mythology, Triptolemus (, ""Triptólemos"", lit. ""threefold warrior""; also known as Buzyges) is a figure connected with the goddess Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He was either a mortal prince, the eldest son of King Celeus of Eleusis, or, according to Pseudo-Apollodorus' ""Bibliotheca"" (I.V.2), the son of Gaia and Oceanus. While Demeter (in the guise of an old woman named Doso) was searching for her daughter Persephone, who had been abducted by Hades, she received a hospitable welcome from Celeus. He asked her to nurse Demophon—""killer of men"", a counterpart to Triptolemus— and Triptolemus, his sons by Metanira."
"Aglaea Aglaea () or Aglaïa (; ""splendor, brilliant, shining one"") is the name of several figures in Greek mythology, the best known of which is one of the three Charites or Graces. Aglaea is the Greek goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence, and adornment. She is the youngest of the Charites or Graces, although Homer knew of a younger Charis or Grace named ""Pasithea"" (""Hallucination""). Aglaea is one of three daughters of Zeus and either the Oceanid Eurynome, or of Eunomia, the goddess of good order and lawful conduct. Her two sisters are Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy or mirth,"
"Piotr Skarga Piotr Skarga (less often, Piotr Powęski; 2 February 1536 – 27 September 1612) was a Polish Jesuit, preacher, hagiographer, polemicist, and leading figure of the Counter-Reformation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to his oratorical gifts, he has been called ""the Polish Bossuet"". Skarga is remembered by Poles as a vigorous early advocate of reforms to the Polish-Lithuanian polity, and as a critic of the Commonwealth's governing classes, as well as of its religious tolerance policies. He advocated strengthening the monarch's power at the expense of parliament (the ""Sejm"") and of the nobility (the ""szlachta""). He was a professor"
"Vahagn Vahagn Vishapakagh (""Vahagn the Dragon Reaper"") or Vahakn () was a god of fire, thunder and war worshiped anciently and historically in Armenia. Some time during Ancient history, he formed a ""triad"" with Aramazd and Anahit. Vahagn was identified with the Greek deity Heracles. The priests of Vahévahian temple, who claimed Vahagn as their own ancestor, placed a statue of the Greek hero in their sanctuary. In the Armenian translation of the Bible, ""Heracles, worshipped at Tyr"" is renamed ""Vahagn"". All the gods, according to the Euhemerist belief, had been living men; Vahagn likewise was introduced within the ranks"
"as a mediator between humans and the goddess Ishtar or the supreme Ningirsu. In Greece itself the other gods have been depicted holding a caduceus, but it was mainly associated with Hermes. It was said to have the power to make people fall asleep or wake up, and also made peace between litigants, and is a visible sign of his authority, being used as a sceptre. He was represented in doorways, possibly as an amulet of good fortune, or as a symbol of purification. The caduceus is not to be confused with the Rod of Asclepius, the patron of medicine"
"daughter of Aeneas and Lavinia, and his father was Mars. In his ""Hymn to Asclepius"", Homer attributes his origin to the god Apollo and the daughter of a renowned soldier, King Phlegyas. As the divine patron of the healing art, Asclepius became the most popular of the hero gods of Greece. The belief that religion was concerned with sickness and disease was central to his cult. His sanctuaries in the Greco-Roman world became so famous there was a movement to make him a god of the first rank and identify him with Zeus himself. Asclepius was ""the one who leads"
"Astaroth Astaroth (also Ashtaroth, Astarot and Asteroth), in demonology, is the Great Duke of Hell in the first hierarchy with Beelzebub and Lucifer; he is part of the evil trinity. He is a male figure most likely named after the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar. The name ""Astaroth"" was ultimately derived from that of 2nd millennium BCE Phoenician goddess Astarte, an equivalent of the Babylonian Ishtar, and the earlier Sumerian Inanna. She is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the forms ""Ashtoreth"" (singular) and ""Ashtaroth"" (plural, in reference to multiple statues of her). This latter form was directly transliterated in the early"
"Baal Hammon Baal Hammon, properly Baʿal Ḥammon or Ḥamon (Phoenician: ""baʿal ḥamūn""; Punic: """"), was the chief god of Carthage. He was a weather god considered responsible for the fertility of vegetation and esteemed as King of the Gods. He was depicted as a bearded older man with curling ram's horns. Baʿal Ḥammon's female cult partner was Tanit. The worship of Baʿal Hammon flourished in the Phoenician colony of Carthage. His supremacy among the Carthaginian gods is believed to date to the fifth century BC, after relations between Carthage and Tyre were broken off at the time of the Battle"
"Marduk Marduk (cuneiform: AMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ""amar utu.k"" ""calf of the sun; solar calf""; Greek , ""Mardochaios""; ) was a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century BC), he slowly started to rise to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon, a position he fully acquired by the second half of the second millennium BC. In the city of Babylon, Marduk was worshiped in the temple Esagila. Marduk is associated with the divine weapon Imhullu. ""Marduk"""
"Agonius Agonius (Ancient Greek: Ἀγώνιος) or Enagonius was an epithet of several gods in Greek mythology (or a distinct deity). Aeschylus and Sophocles use it of Apollo and Zeus, and apparently in the sense of helpers in struggles and contests, or possibly as the protectors of soldiers. But Agonius is more especially used as an epithet of Hermes, who presides over all kinds of solemn contests (), such as the Agonalia. Classical scholar William Warde Fowler thought it likely the deity or the epithets were merely inventions of the pontifices. According to a 19th-century catalog of Greek and Roman art"